


the student becomes the teacher

by watchmyback



Series: sasusaku month [8]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-09
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2018-02-08 02:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1923312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watchmyback/pseuds/watchmyback
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>she was beautiful in the same way the flames were.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the student becomes the teacher

He hadn’t been surprised when he learned Sakura had an affinity for fire.  As far as he could see, she had always been warmth personified.  When she picked up that little slip of paper, he watched her wide eyes, the reflection of the instant flame dancing in them.  Naruto was whining in the distance (“oh, c’mon, _both_ of you have fire?”), but Sasuke didn’t hear a word.  He felt...strange.  Like he could feel the warmth of that little flame all over his body.

Needless to say, he was unsettled.  He decided to avoid thinking about it all together.  

To the surprise of no one, his plan was shattered when Naruto caught on.

“Sasuke-teme, why don’t you teach Sakura some jutsu?”  If he hadn’t seen him do it a million times before, Sasuke would’ve been impressed Naruto could even make noise with that much ramen in his mouth.  He narrowed his eyes while Naruto drained the bowl before him.  His own bowl, however, suddenly appeared infinitely less appetizing.  

“Hn.  I’m sure she’s already got-”

“She doesn’t already have a teacher, asshole.  And besides, who better to teach her than you?  Haven’t you been spitting out fireballs since birth or some shit?”

Sasuke stared blankly over his idiot friend’s shoulder.

“She wouldn’t want me to-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, ‘cause I know this excuse is gonna be pitiful.  Sakura wants you to teach her.  You’re teaching her.”  

To his shock, Naruto actually stopped eating ramen for a moment to stare him down.  

“Fine.  Now shut up and eat your fucking ramen, dobe.”  Naruto was more than happy to oblige.  

This was how Sasuke and Sakura ended up on a rickety dock at dawn.  She was disappointed in the previous day’s small bursts of light, and was determined to do better.  All in all, Sasuke thought it was a pretty decent start.  Especially since he was sure he wasn’t being much help at all.  The memories the dock held were a little overwhelming.

Plus, Sasuke strongly suspected that he was a shit teacher.  

Despite his uninspired advice, Sakura had arrived that morning with a fever in her eyes.  There was something different about the way she held herself; there had been for quite awhile.  She walked like she could bring a village to its knees.

When she set the lake ablaze, he really believed she could.  

The last time he’d seen it this way, he’d been half his height.  He wondered if he’d already caught sight of a pink haired girl and a loud blond boy at the academy.  The warmth of his father’s first praise returned to him, even if the words now held an icy edge.  But he’d been getting better at looking to the future.

He stopped looking at the lake from his memories and rose up to his present height.

The sight was beautiful in the strangest of ways.  Too often, Sasuke had loved the beauty of destruction, but this was much different.  Nothing died for the flames to flourish.  

It was deadly, but still beautiful.  

“Sasuke-kun,” she whispered, breathless in his ear.  Her eyes pried his away from the flames, and once again his heart skipped at the way the flame danced in her.   

She was beautiful in the same way the flames were.  And when she slid her hand into his, he didn’t want to let go.


End file.
